Thursday, April 14, 2011

The first Christmas that my husband and I were married, we were poking through a display of ornaments at a local store and I came across a ceramic pea pod with four smiling peas in it. Albeit a little cheesy, I showed it to my husband and said that we were buying it because it would someday represent the two of us and the two children that we would have.

Whether he believed me or just wanted to appease me, my husband went along with it and that ornament came home with us and went into storage until the year that Little Sister B was born and our family was complete. It has since hung on the tree every year... and has continued to be just as special to me.

And now, thanks to the amazing talent, creativity and beauty found at The Vintage Pearl, I can wear the same symbol each day.

With the popularity of hand stamped jewelry on the rise, finding a site that sticks out as being above the rest can be hard to do. Where do you even start to look? For me, the name The Vintage Pearl continued to pop up, over and over, as one that was loved by everyone from Martha Stewart to Rachael Ray to a stack of magazines a foot high.

And as soon as I took a visit to the website and found that their handcrafted, quality, durable items range from the traditional and classic to the unique and one-of-a-kind, I realized why they were such a favorite.

And then when the Vintage Peas in a Pod necklace arrived, I really understood why everyone was raving about The Vintage Pearl.

A hand sculpted fine silver pea pod that has been antiqued to a dark vintage finish and then filled with freshwater pearl "peas," this necklace had me from the instant I saw it. It combines the classic beauty of pearls with the modern twist of the design and just couldn't be any more perfect.

With the ability to fit 1 - 5 peas, this necklace is perfect to represent your family or each of your children and would make an amazing gift for Mother's Day (it retails between $58 - $78 depending on the number of peas). The quality of the work is amazing, the sterling ball chain is sturdy and strong and the compliments roll in every time I have worn this out.

Even Big Sister E and Little Sister B get a huge kick out of pointing out the peas, naming each one of us, and talking about how we're a family. What other stunningly beautiful piece of jewelry can do that?

Without a doubt, I am now a part of the large crowd that are huge fans of The Vintage Pearl. If you are looking for simple, they can do that.

But if you're looking for out of the ordinary and unique, they do that, too.

The outer band on these rings? It spins around. How cool is that?!

As far as I can tell, there isn't a limit on what The Vintage Pearl can do and what they can stamp on their jewelry. A heartfelt message, the letters of your sorority, symbols or hobbies, of course the names of your children... they have it all. With no two pieces ever exactly the same, the result is that your mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, friend, mama-to-be, or you will cherish something so personal and meaningful.

Be sure to put in your order at The Vintage Pearl by Wednesday, April 20 in order to have it shipped in time for Mother's Day! Don't wait! And, thanks to their generosity, one person will be able to order their own amazing necklace, ring, bracelet, keepsake, or more, because...

One lucky person will win a $50 gift certificate to The Vintage Pearl!

To enter to win: Visit The Vintage Pearl and tell me what you might spend this gift certificate on if you win (other than the items mentioned above).

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry if you head over to A Mom's Balancing Act and enter to win a $50 gift certificate to The Vintage Pearl over there as well!1 Extra Entry (per method) if you join The Vintage Pearl mailing list, follow them on Twitter, Like them on Facebook and/or follow The Vintage Pearl blog with Google Friend Connect.1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the Celebrating Mom giveaways (Celebrating Mom giveaways ONLY) running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

2 Extra Entries (per follow method) if you follow me with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email or become a fan on Facebook.3 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.3 Extra Entries if you have our Celebrating Mom button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to this post. Please leave an address where it can be found.Giveaway will end on May 6th at 11:59pm CST. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open worldwide! If you're reading this, you can enter!

A big thank you to The Vintage Pearl for providing a Vintage Peas in a Pod necklace for me to review as well as a $50 gift certificate for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.

Wow. There are so many beautiful things on their website! If I won, I would have a tough time choosing but some of my favorite items are the cupped square with love and the vintage baby feet with names!